"Quick! To that cave!" Havardr cried out as he gestured towards the only shelter he could see. Panicked noises surrounded the chaos as the small squad centred around the cart hastily made their way towards the rocky hillside. Around them, warriors prepared their shields, slings and axes, even if they knew their weapon would not be effective against what was to come. Servants whipped and tugged the frenzied ox-sized rodents, attempting to guide them towards safety to little avail.

"Go deeper! Try to find a corner!" The shouting continued as the cart was dragged into the darkness, illuminated only by faint torchlights as the sedated rodent followed the guide of its handler, the drug blocking the outside world from its muted senses. The leather-clad warrior quickly followed the convoy into the cave, turning his gaze away from the outside world. Behind him, strange lights began to flash, casting a looming shadow over the rocky ground. Even for a veteran raider like him, he could not help but feel a shiver down his spine as screams and cries echoed through the cave.

After all, it was not just another war.

No. It never was a war, any more than there's war between man and ants.

Tugged behind a sharp corner, the small team of survivors hid themselves between the rocky walls and the sheltered cart. The alien lights continued to flash, painting strange shapes onto the walls of the cave as the screams slowly subsided. There was nothing they can do, nothing but pray that they were not discovered - or at least, they would have a swift death if they were.

After what felt like an eternity, the blinding lights that defied description faded away as well, leaving behind only the scent of hot pockets seeping into the cave. Yet, none of them were brave enough to venture out just yet, instead seeking comfort from each other while Havardr's sweat-drenched hands tightened around his shield and axe.

"... Is it safe now?" The deafening silence was eventually broken by a shivering voice. Perhaps reminded of his duty, the warrior slowly pulled himself up from the cart. With heavy steps, he slowly made his way around the corner and towards the smoky entrance of the shelter. Fearful eyes peeked behind him, witnessing the raider walking up towards the exit... and stopped.

"... Havardr?" The voice asked again, but there was no reply. The man simply stood in the dusky light, his arms dangling beneath his shoulders. It was not usual for a warrior to break guard in a situation like this... although the fact that he was still in one piece suggested that, perhaps, the disaster had came to pass.

With a gulp, another silhouette moved out from the corner into the light, slowly walking towards the frozen warrior to see what his widened eyes had seen... only to be bewildered in the same way be the scenery.

The field before the cave, once lush with grass and bushes, was now scorched clean. The plastered road that guided their way was nowhere to be seen. The large convoy they were part of was scattered among the smoking debris, torn and tossed around like broken toys. There was no survivors in sight - perhaps for the best, as no minds would be equipped to survive witnessing the indescribable powers of the monsters.

As they pulled their gaze away from the carnage, though, they were greeted by something even stranger. The sky and sea was painted in a strange, unfamiliar colour, and the distant coastline was not something they remembered seeing. Even for jannies, drastic changes like that were virtually unheard of.

One by one, more survivors left the cave and joined the frozen duo, only to be rendered speechless by the sight of the outside world. It was the sound of the dazed atosanpol that finally broke their attention, and they turned around to tend the beast of burden and the cart it was tugging behind.

Only in death does duty end - as the saying goes. Now that they were not in immediately threat, they would have to resume their previous task - especially now that they were the sole survivors of their convoy.

"What now?" The shaking voice asked the warrior.

"... gather what we can." Havardr looked at the sun setting into the unfamiliar horizon. "We'll rest for the night and continue our journey at dawn."

His words were first met with silence, but in the absence of better proposals, the small team began their work despite the uncertainty plaguing their mind. Some of the braver souls approached the carnage and began salvaging what they could, while the others remained around the cart, to check on their supplies and to prepare camping for the night. Havardr would join the scavengers, but not before approaching the cart and lifting the cloth covering it, shielding its content from what they had just witnessed.

"... this will be problematic." He sighed as his gaze followed the light leaking into the cart, faintly illuminating the metal bars and the sleeping souls behind them.